Infortunium
by whycantifindafriknusername
Summary: After the forth great ninja war, sasuke ponders on what to do. And thanks to certain circumstances, he's stuck with a certain someone. rated m for a reason kiddies.
1. The war is won

Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto. Story belongs to me.

WARNING: spoilers.

* * *

Infortunium_ (noun) L. _

_1. bad luck, punishment, misfortune._

There had been a lot of strange, and tragic, occurences in his relatively short life. Occurences that he never would have anticipated at the time, and quite frankly, never expected to. The murder of his family being one of them. The fact that they were murdered by one of their own, another.

_Much less, by his older brother. _

He seemed to have a knack for attracting misfortune, and out of all of the bizarre circumstances, named and un-named, this one is up there.

It all started with the battle of the Jyubi. He had shown up for the fight, but only when it was in the final stretch. Naruto (against the odds, as always) had somehow managed to turn the tables, despite the the ten-tail's power, and backed Madara and Obito into a corner.

Upon his arrival, he immediately jumped into the fray and intercepted a golden-hued Naruto, who had then wore a shocked, angry, and excited expression all at once. The ensuing fight was an all-out blood bath, and they grappled desperately in flashes of black and gold.

_It was, in all forms of the word, a war._

Though at a severe disadvantage even with susano'o, as the fight wore on, he began to gain the upperhand. Naruto had taken on others before he had reached the battlefield, and thus wasted precious chakra. He was approaching his limit fast.

By this time, Kakashi had separated Obito from the Jyubi, and the two clashed with frightening intensity. The rest of shinobi alliance, encouraged by the newfound chink in their armor, advanced on Madara and the ten-tails. Everybody was exhausted and running out of chakra. The battle would soon come to an end.

_But not the way he wanted. Really, he shouldn't have been surprised, since when did anything ever go his way? _

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the ice-blue flare of Kakashi's signature lightning blade tear through Obito's stomach, crushing his dreams and purpose for the future. _But at least it was a mutual hit. _Obito's hit was cut short by Kakashi's, but it still managed to do some serious damage. He watched as the silver-haired man fell, unconsious, next to the body of his former best friend.

And apparently, he wasn't the only one who noticed. Naruto, startled out of his reverie of rasengan barrages, felt his teacher fall with the last dregs of his sage mode. The boy's eyes, full of concern, glanced in the other direction. It was only for a split second, but it was all he needed. Using the last of his strength, he brought the susano'o's fists down in a skull-shattering smash, and felt bones snap beneath it.

Spent, and not wanting to fall over, he squatted on the ground, searching the rubble for a flash of yellow as the violet barrier receded back to the recesses of his mind. As the dust settled, he saw the orange-clad body in the middle of a giant crater, unmoving.

But the subtle rise and fall of the chest told him that the blond was still alive.

_Obstinate._

Using his katana as a make-shift crutch, he limped over to Naruto's beaten form. There, the boy laid sleeping, like he didn't just fight a war._ Pathetic_, he thought. And so ends the forth great ninja war. Obito, killed by his ex-teammate, and Madara, sent back to the afterlife not long after. He watched with dim interest as the Jyubi was taken down, as the multitude screamed and cried their victory, and he thought, he honestly, truly thought, about his life.

_He hated his life. Who wouldn't, in his place?_

The battle was over. He stared down at the unconsious boy.

_I could kill him..._

_Just one flick of the wrist, and it'd be all over..._

He raised his sword over the blond's neck.

_He was really going to do it. _

But before he could bring his katana over the blond's head, he was knocked over by a thunderous force. He was weak and in no shape to fight, and the blow to his side made his head swirl. Ignoring throb in his gut, he quickly got up and blocked an oncoming hit, grabbing the arm and twisting it around the enemy's back. The shinobi balked, squeezed his hand with the arm held captive, and promptly proceeded to throw him over their shoulder. He flipped over in the air and adeptly landed on his feet, only to sidestep the flurry of pink-hair and stony green eyes.

His blank eyes remained indifferent to the familiar face, but his mind was sending out warning signals. The medic-nin looked tired, but she could still take him out at that point. He needed to escape. He devised a plan in his head, and when she came at him for a third time, he was ready. He faked to one side, and in that milisecond of confusion, materialized behind her and brought his hand down in a chop, right over the nerve in the junction of her neck, instantly rendering her immobile at his feet.

He sighed, finally able to catch his breath. His wounds were becoming too painful to move around in, and he needed treatment and rest. Immediately. The other shinobi were bound to happen upon him, and he had a feeling it would be sooner rather than later. He didn't know where Karin was, and his team probably abandoned him, after he abandoned them. So where w-

-He looked down.

And that was why he was currently fleeing through the woods with Sakura Haruno resting over his shoulder.

* * *

-TBC

So, whadaya think? Got a brand new chapter out, and I have high hopes for it. This will be my first multiple chapter fic. Hope I didn't bomb it. XP


	2. Encounters

Disclaimer: I _**wish**_ i owned Naruto.

* * *

When Sakura woke up, she immediately shot out of bed, thinking that the war was not over, and there were lives to be saved. She expected to be in one of those bland medical tents, put there by someone who had happened upon her unconscious form on the ground. But no, that idea was quickly thrown out the window with one sweep of her eyes around the room.

_Where am I?_

The room she was in was poorly lit, coming from a small candle over to her right. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed a dresser, the bed which she just slept on, and a desk with the small candle sitting on it. That was it, except for a door across the room.

_Whoever kidnapped her certainly had bland taste._

They probably planned to use her for a ransom, since she was a valuable kunoichi to the leaf, or to force her to heal them or someone else. It was most likely the latter.

_But who would... Zetsu...? Nah, it couldn't be... Maybe...? No... no, definitely not __**him. **__...Right?_

Walking around, she found her boots deposited at the foot of the bed. She was also wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Though, her ninja gear was gone, and her chakra levels were critically low.

_Splendid._

It was quick work pulling on her boots and getting ready. When she found none of her weapons miraculously hiding under the covers, or perhaps fallen off the bed, she cautiously made her way to the door. If anyone spotted her, she'd just have to make a run for it.

But before she was within five steps of it, the distinct creak and whine of the hinges turning rang throughout the room. Dropping into a defensive stance, the pink-haired girl readied herself for a fight. She'd have to defeat him swiftly, since he or she might have allies she didn't know about waiting in another room.

The person in the door was cast completely in darkness, shadowed by a light source in what looked like a hallway behind them. Judging by their tall stature and squared shoulders, it was a male.

"What's the matter? Scared, S-a-k-u-r-a-chan?" purred an all too familiar voice, drawing her name out almost seductively.

So it was _him_ after all.

She cursed under her breath.

"Sasuke."

* * *

The bright lights above him blurred his tired eyes. He quickly closed them again. Smelling the ammonia, sterilizers, and cleaning fluids, he realized he was in one of those white medical tents situated along the war zone. Sakura-chan should be somewhere around here...

His ears perked at the sound of agonized, nerve-wracking moans somewhere nearby, and he visibly shuddered.

_He disliked hospitals with a passion._

Sighing, he slowly sat up on the cot and tried to ignore the shooting pain in his side.

"Oh hey, you're awake."

He glanced over as Shizune walked in with a smile through the tent flap, carrying bandages and ointments that looked like they would sting.

She stuck her head back out of the tent and called to someone, which sounded a lot like 'he's awake!'. Hinata came in afterwards.

"Nee, Ane-chan, how's Kakashi-sensei?"

The dark-haired woman was instructing Hinata on which ointment to use, but looked up at Naruto's question. "He took a big hit, but he should be fine, after a while."

He breathed out dramatically. "Yeah, that old fart's pretty stubborn... what happened Madara and the wannabe-Madara? And Sasuke?"

"Madara and Obito are dead. As for Sasuke, we don't know. "

"...I see..." He didn't care that Madara was dead, since he was technically already dead, but Obito... he wished the man could have been dissuaded from his evil ways and not killed, 'cause then at least Kakashi could have some closure.

Shizune told him that while he was unconscious, Sasuke must have slipped away inconspicuously. Meanwhile, worried by the absence of the tell-tale explosions of battle, Hinata approached the site, found him, and rushed him to the tent. Upon finding no one there, she bandaged him and saved him from bleeding out. Naruto noticed there was a hint of pride in Shizune's voice as she said this.

"Wow, you saved my life, Hinata-chan! Thanks! You should become a medic nin, like sakura-chan! You're really good!" he gave a handsome grin that made the Hyuga weak in the knees. Overjoyed by his praise, she blushed a pretty red, but surprisingly did not faint.

"Where _is_ Sakura-chan anyway? How is she?" his azul eyes looked at her with eagerness and a smile that made her heart clench painfully.

"...I don't know..."

Confusion swirled in his bright eyes. "What do you mean?"

Her fists tightened at her sides, saddened at his innocent gaze. "We can't find her."

"But- didn't you-... she could be out in the battlefield somewhere, healing people!" his voice was laced with desperation now.

"No... I asked a sensor team to search for her. They couldn't sense her chakra anywhere. And if she is in the battlefield...-" her voice broke.

"I'm sorry Naruto. She's gone."

* * *

"What, no suffix? I thought you loved me, S-a-k-u-r-a." his smooth, deep baritone sent shivers up and down her spine.

"That was before you betrayed us, before you tried to kill us!" her strong voice masked her inner turmoil and fear.

_He observed her silently, obscured by the shadows._

It was unnerving, being studied by eyes she couldn't see, and the loud silence between them made her scared to think what was going on inside his mind. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, she broke that silence.

"What do want from me? What purpose do I have here?" she wavered slightly.

"...That's for me to know, and you to find out." she missed the way his eyes flashed in the dark.

"Whatever it is, I won't do it! I'm going home!" She heard herself echo throughout the room, and into the hallway.

There was another bout of silence and quiet hatred before,-

he took a step towards her. She stumbled backwards, terrified by his approach. He continued his leisurely saunter until she bumped against the foot of the bed, and he stopped three paces in front of her. She watched as his features were slowly revealed by the candlelight, and took in his appearance.

Not much had changed, except his clothes. He wore black pants, standard shinobi sandals, and a high-collared shirt with a zipper that showed the pale expanse of his chest. He looked a few inches taller, and his dark eyes bore hers with such intensity that it shook her very soul. His alluring lips seemed to capture and hold her eyes to them as they opened to speak.

"...Home?" she couldn't decipher the tone in his voice.

There was a long pause before suddenly,-

he was right in front of her. Her heart nearly stopped, and then beat so frantically, she was sure he could hear it.

He bent so that he was eye-level with her, almost mockingly. As she looked up into his gleaming, blood-red irises, she felt her veins freeze, and the cold sweat run down her face and back.

His cool fingers gripped her chin so she couldn't look away, and he sneered at her frightened gaze.

"This is your new home now."

* * *

Dun dun duuuuuun! XD


	3. Worry

Yo. Sorry for being so late. I'd blame it on finals' week, but then i'd be lying. ;) Enjoy!

Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto

* * *

Her heart was still going crazy 30 minutes after _he _left. She placed her hand on her chest, as if that would somehow calm the frantic organ. Taking deep breaths, the pink-haired girl weighed _his_ words in her mind.

_'This is your new home now..?'_

What did he mean by that? What did he want with her? What use could she possibly serve, other than to heal? She'd already ruled out that possibility, for now, anyways, since he did not ask her to, but that didn't mean he wouldn't. There were other things, portentous things, that he might want her for, things she _really_ didn't want to contemplate.

Thinking about it made her head swim, so she shifted her thoughts to the rest of their conversation.

_"You will remain here, whether you like it or not, and you will do as i say. I have drained your chakra, and escaping is futile. Even if you somehow managed to navigate the halls and come to the right exit, and leave, i would just hunt you down." His hawk-like eyes pierced into hers. _

_She fidgeted uncomfortably under his heavy gaze, wishing more than anything that he would leave. He watched her squirm for a few more seconds before turning silently towards the door, and out, shutting it with a _creak.

Sakura trembled.

_The Sasuke in her memory was just as scary as the Sasuke in real life._

* * *

Shizune gathered the required medicines up miserably. She'd hoped that Naruto wouldn't have asked that question so soon. That he'd ask how Tsunade baa-chan was doing, or if things were going alright, or...

...anything, really.

So that he wouldn't have to suffer one blow after another, at least for little bit. Then she'd try to break it to him as gently as humanely possible.

_Of course, that did not happen._

Now knowing the undetermined fate of his beloved teammate, he laid, unmoving, on the bed like a zombie. For the rest of the day, he ignored Hinata's attempts to get him to move, talk, or eat, and gazed, unseeing, into space. But they could see in his eyes, a spark hidden in his cerulean depths, that the first chance he got, he'd slip away and look for Sakura on his own.

_He couldn't stand lose a teammate. Not again. _

Shizune herself believed that somewhere, Sakura could still be out there, alive. She clung to the hope that Sakura would be found, breathing and whole, but she did not disregard the ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Having everything she needing for the time being, the black-haired medic left to treat every patient that she could.

* * *

His light footsteps echoed throughout the empty, un-lit passageways, and beyond. He walked in complete darkness. A torch was useless, because with sharingan, came night vision, and even without it, he could see pretty well in the dark. Not to mention he knew this hideout like the back of his hand.

_There was no way she could escape._

He thought quite certainly. She probably wouldn't even be able to see her hand if it was right in front of her face. Though he knew it was unwise to underestimate her. She was a top kunoichi, a kick-ass fighter with monstrous strength, the pupil of the fifth hokage. Undoubtedly, she would attempt to escape.

But not right now. She knew it was futile to run, and rightly so. He had been watching her, and the little bit of chakra that she still possessed flickered nervously. Good. She was still shaken from their earlier encounter. He planned to scare her into compliance. Fear would seize her mind, and cloud her judgement.

He would keep her as part of a two-man squad. He would stay low, move from hideout to hideout when he felt they were close to being detected. She was one of the best healers in all of the five great nations, and the only one he deemed even half-trustworthy enough to tend to his eyes.

Also, she would not kill him. She couldn't.

He did not know how he knew this, but it wouldn't leave his thoughts. If it were any other person, he would not trust them as much as he did her. He didn't trust anyone.

Yet, looking at the small, fragile kunoichi, he suddenly got the thought that she would not kill him.

_...It's because she's weak, he decided. _

The echoes bouncing off the walls got fainter and fainter, until, they disappeared entirely.

* * *

Tsunade sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. She was still recovering, but her wounds did not hurt as much as they did. Upon awakening in the middle of the battlefield, she found that the war was over, that they had won, and Obito was dead. Oh, and, Sakura was missing.

_Well, wasn't that just fucking great._

She was disgruntled, since there were papers to be written, documents to be signed, talks to be made with the other Hokages, and she just couldn't get a break. Though, despite her angry demeanor, she was secretly lamenting. Sakura could still be out there, and not... she shuddered.

When they had enough Shinobi to spare, she would immediately send out a small tracking team for her. If she didn't do anything, Naruto would.

Sakura was a prize medic, and a valuable asset to the leaf. She also had knowledge of all the weaknesses, hidden entrances, passwords to restricted information, and even the deepest, darkest secrets of ROOT.

Losing her would be catastrophic.

She awaited Sakura's return with bated breath, but something, a nagging feeling in her gut, told her that the trackers would not find her, that she would not return. Tsunade had a hunch that Sakura was not on the battlefield, or anywhere near here...

...And there was nothing she could do about it, at the moment. She cursed under her breath. She was going crazy, not knowing where her student was, and it set her on edge.

In the large medical tent she was in, there were empty sake bottles littering the floor around her makeshift desk. She downed half a bottle's contents in one go, losing herself, and her worries, in liquor.

And for once, Shizune did not object.

* * *

Pain stabbed at her heart when she thought of her comrades. Were they alright? Was Kakashi-sensei alive? And Lady Tsunade? And everyone else? Worry infected her thoughts like the plague.

She didn't know what Sasuke wanted with her, and she didn't intend to stick around and find out, either. This new Sasuke was so different than the quiet boy she always followed. He practically radiated dark power and beauty. So much that he awed and terrified her at the same time.

_But she was always awed by him, wasn't she?_

No matter. The past was past, even if she yearned for the days when they were a team, when they moved in perfect sync, when she **knew** him. Or thought she did.

Her thoughts returned to the present. She needed a plan of action, and fast. There would be no telling what happened to her if she stayed. But for now, she would have to bide her time, and recover as much chakra as she could. The thoughts of her friends, of Konoha, filled her eyes with determination.

"Hold on, guys. I'll find a way out of here soon."

-TBC

* * *

A lot of stuff going on. I switched POVs a little too often for my liking...:(

Even Sasuke himself doesn't seem to know exactly what he wants with Sakura. Interesting.

Leave a review, and give me some ideas! ;)


	4. Aftermath

Hey, sorry I'm late. My motto for this summer is laziness and procrastination. But, I'm making it up to you guys with a (slightly) longer chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Waiting in recovery was agonizing. Well, at least Kurama's chakra helped him heal quicker than a normal person. But still, his wounds were taking a little too long for his liking. Probably because he had used the Kyuubi's sage mode form a lot over the past few days.

But being hyper-aware of all the activity that was going on outside his tent was not helping. He could hear the footsteps of shinobi, the endless chatter of people, the clatter of nameless objects from the outside world, and he desperately wanted to be apart of it.

_Pathetic,_ he thought. _Looks like staring at a white wall all day has gotten to me._

Konoha was currently being rebuilt, so many were temporarily camping out around the medical tents a short distance from the battlefield, sort of like a large, make-shift village. Every able shinobi was patrolling around a 5km distance, ready to defend from any attacker.

While he, the so-called 'Konoha hero', sat back and relaxed in bed. it was starting to irritate him.

The main thing that was occupying his mind was Sakura's disappearance. When he first heard, he'd have gotten up and searched for her right then and there, after the initial shock wore off, had it not been for Shizune and Hinata reminding of his wounds. He hated being stuck there, not being able to do anything for his friends.

But just then, someone stepped into the tent, crashing his little pity party.

"Naruto-kun...?" Of course, it was Hinata. When, she had begun to tack on the 'kun', he did not know.

But he didn't care. Lately, she had stuck to him like glue, for reasons he didn't quite understand. Nevertheless, he appreciated her kindness, and gave her a big grin, like the ones he'd give Sakura-chan. Because now, the white-eyed girl was the only person who could make him forget about his pink-haired teammate, if only for a little bit.

* * *

He woke up quietly, not bothering to open his eyes. Scanning the perimeter with his chakra, he was pleased to find Sakura's stable signature still in her room downstairs. He had taken a short nap to regain some of his strength, as well as a soldier pill earlier to boost his chakra level. Too lazy to get up at the moment, he lied there and went over his plans.

He planned to head north, dragging Sakura with him, to a small civilian town near one of Orochimaru's many hideouts, just in the border of sound. There, no one would dare attack him. He would go his own way, do what he wanted to do, and over the next few years, maybe even restore the Uchiha clan. Sakura, by then knowing the location of many hideouts, would be dangerous to let go of, so she would either stay by his side, or be killed, depending on him.

For now, he would have to bind her to him, using a technique he read about in the clan's old archives. From what he read about it, he would be able to tell where she was at all times, among other things, which would be very useful. The justu itself was usually practiced between married or betrothed couples, though he could care less.

He got up and stretched languidly, before heading to small 'kitchen' of the hideout. Sakura was bound to be hungry, and so was he.

* * *

Tsunade sighed for the umpteenth time that day, having come back from a meeting among the 5 kages. She had been discussing her apprentice's disappearance, and shinobi to send after her, with Shikaku Nara. Unfortunately, the elders, who had tagged along, bitched at her for worrying about one instead of the whole village, and showing favoritism, and blah, blah, blah. RIGHT. IN THE MIDDLE. OF THE FUCKIN' MEETING. She had snapped at a young nurse afterwards.

The one thing that caught her attention was when the Raikage motioned her aside to speak to her privately. What he told her shocked her to the core.

One of his ninja had spotted a pink-haired kunoichi headed to where Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto were battling. Then there was an explosion, obscuring his sight temporarily. After the smoke cleared, Uchiha Sasuke and the kunoichi were gone.

In the present, Tsunade sat chewing her nails. It was unfathomable, to think that the Uchiha brat had kidnapped her student. Of course, the Raikage had explicitly stated that just because they disappeared at the same time, did not mean they disappeared together. While she would have like to believe that, something told her not to.

She had always followed her instincts, and she wasn't about to stop now.

* * *

The minute he gained conciousness, a throbbing pain in his abdomen alerted him of serious injuries and hell if he moved even one inch. Slowly, he opened his seemingly 500 lb eyelids, and found a young woman bent over him, with her hand on his blanket, which was covering the lower half of his face.

"Wha-what are you ...doing...?" The silver-haired ninja rasped.

"Oh, I -um- I thought that you might have a hard time breathing with that blanket over your face!" She laughed nervously. His eyes followed her as she stood up, and scanned the room. There were three other shinobi in the tent, all of whom, he noticed, looked rather guilty.

"Did w-we win...? Is it ...over?" They smiled and nodded.

"And Obi-...Madara?" His voice cracked when he almost said his ex-friend's name.

"...He's dead." One of the shinobi, a male, answered.

"...I see."

'So this is how it ends, eh... partner...?" He thought to himself.

And with, the infamous copy ninja passed out for the second time in two days.

* * *

He balanced the freshly prepared meal on the small tray as he slipped downstairs. Having already eaten, he was now bringing Sakura her meal. He had decided to place the binding justu on her when he brought her food, but she obviously wasn't going to cooperate with anything he did. If she resisted, he would just have to subdue her by force.

Walking down the hallway and up to her door, he ambled in without knocking. He set the tray down on the desk next to the candle, which would die out soon. Her chakra signature was coming from the bed, so he assumed that she was only laying down. However, she was fast asleep.

She slept on the right side of the bed, curled up into a ball, with the covers up to her ears. He smirked. She was like a little girl hiding from monsters under the bed.

An ideal opportunity had presented itself, though, and he wasn't about to pass it by. He drifted silently over to the side of the bed, where she now faced him. Recalling the hand signs from memory, he formed the correct kata, and pushed his chakra towards his palm.

He didn't know exactly how long it would take, so he got down on one knee and slowly pushed his palm against her forehead. Her face scrunched up as if in agitation, but otherwise, she did not move. His hand began to glow whitish-blue, and he felt his chakra being sucked out rapidly.

It was not an unpleasant experience, and he found he could not pull away even if he wanted to. The justu had fastened his hand to her.

Five minutes had passed before he could un-stick his palm from her brow. Any more, and he would have been drained. He was glad he took that soldier pill.

Looking closer, he found a mark in the middle of her forehead. Vines wrapped around her delicate face, almost cradling it. At the center was a cherry blossom.

_Hn. Fitting._ He thought. The mark sat there innocently before fading away into her pale skin.

Realizing he had been staring for some time now, he turned curtly and left.

* * *

Walking through the crowded gaps between the tents, almost stumbling over who-knows-what, Shizune made her way into the innermost part of the 'village'. She was returning from a conference meeting between Tsunade and the elders. After uniting during a huge crisis, relations between the villages were favorable, since no one dared break the fragile peace. Furthermore, it was agreed that supplies would be equally shared among the villages, to help with rebuilding and the relief effort.

But that wasn't the only topic they had discussed.

Tsunade had brought up sending out a few individuals after Sakura, again. The elders were against sending a team after Sakura, saying that it was a waste of time and effort, and there were many other dead still on the battlefield.

Tsunade, for her own reasons, respectively, had not told them of what the Kumogakure ninja had seen.

The elders would most likely order a battalion after the Uchiha for execution, and the Hokage wasn't taking any chances, not with Naruto around.

Shizune had, of course, backed up Tsunade, saying that Sakura was an outstanding medic-nin, and an important kunoichi of the leaf. The elders retorted that if she hadn't come back by now, she was probably dead, and there was no use sending ninja from their already sparse security.

After they left, Tsunade had promptly proceeded to throw her desk against the wall.

Shizune sighed.

'Sakura...where are you...?'

She came upon Naruto's tent, and readied herself to be fixed with a blank stare that was just so, so _unlike_ him. After a moment of hesitation, she opened the tent flap and froze. There, sitting up on the bed and smiling bright, was Naruto, with Hinata perched next to him, giggling.

She watched with keen interest as Naruto desribed one of his missions, which seemed to involve a really fat guy rolling down a hill. Hinata started giggling again, and soon, they were both laughing.

Shizune could still see the sad, yet determined look in his eye, but it seemed to be at the back of his mind, now that he was focused on Hinata. _Way to go, girl. Get your man! _She thought.

They didn't seem to notice her, so she quietly backed up and, with a small smile alighting her face, walked away.

* * *

She yawned and opened her eyes sleepily, finding herself in pretty much the same position as she had last night. Or morning. It was hard to tell the time of day since there were no windows underground.

As she stretched lazily, she realized she felt somehow ...different. She couldn't figure out what it was, so she laid in bed, trying to determine it. It kinda felt like she was being watched, that every little move she made was being analyzed and catalogued. Also, she could feel a ...pressure, no, ...more like a- a presence, wrapped around her body, almost covering it.

And yet, it was not at all unpleasant. Maybe even ...comforting. Strange.

But her ninja training told her not to trust it. Whatever it was. Distantly, she thought that Sasuke must have something to do with it. But all thoughts were out the window as she smelled a delicious aroma of _food._ Her stomach rumbled loudly. She hadn't had anything to eat since the last morning she was on the battlefield.

Looking around the dark room, she pinpointed it, and its mouth-watering scent, on the desk. She threw the covers off her quickly and practically skipped over to it. There, next to the flickering candle, was a tray containing a bowl of Ton-jiru, a plate of Tonkatsu, green beans and rice balls, and a glass of water.

All her life she had been taught not to eat food while in a foreign place, especially not from a_ kidnapper_. You know, since it could be poisoned, and stuff. But she knew she served some kind of purpose here, and Sasuke wouldn't kill her off so quickly. Besides, if he wanted to kill her, he could have done so a while ago.

Her stomach was rumbling again, so, she picked up the chopsticks, and dug in.

* * *

Whooooooooooo, 2,000 words, baby! *throws confetti*

Chapter four. Mostly a filler. But I like the little SasuSaku development that's going on. So, tell me what you think, and give me a few ideas. They could be used in later chapters. ;)


End file.
